BNSF Railway Bridge Across the Missouri River Between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota; Final Environmental Impact Statement
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Issuing agencies
Abstract
The Coast Guard announces the availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed replacement of the BNSF Railway Bridge across the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota. This was prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and Council on Environmental Quality implementing regulations, and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This final EIS evaluates the potential environmental consequences of permitting the replacement of the existing BNSF Railway Bridge across the Missouri River between the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, ND, or the construction of a bridge adjacent to the existing bridge. The applicant proposes to remove the existing structure, which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Coast Guard analyzed proposed alternatives, through the NEPA and NHPA processes, which included alternatives to construct the new bridge while retaining the existing bridge. The Coast Guard is making the final EIS available to the public on this docket. Section 4.0 of the final EIS identifies the preferred alternative, which is to construct a new bridge with 200-foot spans, and piers 20 feet upstream of the existing bridge, and to remove the existing structure.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 208 (Friday, October 28, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65216-65217]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23466]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2019-0882]
BNSF Railway Bridge Across the Missouri River Between Bismarck
and Mandan, North Dakota; Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability for a Final Environmental Impact
Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed replacement of
the BNSF Railway Bridge across the Missouri River between Bismarck and
Mandan, North Dakota. This was prepared in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and Council on Environmental
Quality implementing regulations, and the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA). This final EIS evaluates the potential
environmental consequences of permitting the replacement of the
existing BNSF Railway Bridge across the Missouri River between the
cities of Bismarck and Mandan, ND, or the construction of a bridge
adjacent to the existing bridge. The applicant proposes to remove the
existing structure, which is eligible for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Coast Guard analyzed proposed
alternatives, through the NEPA and NHPA processes, which included
alternatives to construct the new bridge while retaining the existing
bridge. The Coast Guard is making the final EIS available to the public
on this docket. Section 4.0 of the final EIS identifies the preferred
alternative, which is to construct a new bridge with 200-foot spans,
and piers 20 feet upstream of the existing bridge, and to remove the
existing structure.
DATES: The Coast Guard intends to issue a Record of Decision on
November 28, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this document
call or
[[Page 65217]]
email Rob McCaskey, Coast Guard District 8 Project Officer; telephone:
314-269-2381, or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d49c8587f9879996f99793f996869394a1a7b7b3fab9bdb8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e362f2d532d333c533d39533c2c393e0b0d1d1950131712">[email protected]</span></a>.
Discussion
On January 8, 2020, the Coast Guard published a notice of intent to
prepare an EIS (85 FR 930). On June 7, 2021, we published a notice of
availability for a draft EIS seeking public comments, and announcement
of a virtual meeting (86 FR 30323) for the BNSF Railway Bridge across
the Missouri River between the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, ND.
Lastly, on June 14, 2021, we published a notice of extension to the
public comment period (86 FR 31509), which extended the comment period
to July 26, 2021.
The notice of availability solicited substantive and relevant
comments related to the draft EIS. On June 30, 2021, the Coast Guard
held a virtual public meeting to receive written and oral comments on
the draft EIS. Public comments yielded very few substantive changes. We
are now providing notice of the availability of the final EIS.
We developed a final EIS that addresses impacts associated with the
alternatives mentioned in section 2.0 of the draft EIS. These impacts
include those environmental control laws listed in appendix B of the
Coast Guard's Bridge Permit Application Guide (available at <a href="https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5pw/Office%20of%20Bridge%20Programs/BPAG%20COMDTPUB%20P16591%203D_Sequential%20Clearance%20Final">https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5pw/Office%20of%20Bridge%20Programs/BPAG%20COMDTPUB%20P16591%203D_Sequential%20Clearance%20Final</a>(July2016).p
df), as well as those impacts associated with floodplain rise, impacts
to the Bismarck Water Reservoir and the Missouri River Natural Area.
The final EIS also includes responses to all substantive and relevant
comments received during the public comment period and virtual public
meeting.
The Coast Guard, as lead agency, held 21 consultation meetings with
stakeholders to satisfy the requirements of section 106 of the NHPA (54
U.S.C. 306108). On January 15, 2021, the Coast Guard and consulting
parties signed a Programmatic Agreement to address the adverse effect
on the existing historic bridge, and to provide third parties the
opportunity to develop additional alternatives that would allow for
retention of the bridge. The additional alternative presented during
this process was not technically or economically feasible, so the Coast
Guard and consulting parties developed a Memorandum of Agreement, which
dictates mitigation measures for removal of the existing bridge. A
consulting party, the Friends of the Rail Bridge, initiated termination
of the Programmatic Agreement on February 22, 2022, and after
additional consultation meetings, it was terminated on June 19, 2022.
The Memorandum of Agreement was signed on September 27, 2022, and is
available in appendix B of the final EIS.
This notice is issued under authority of NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq., Council on Environmental Quality implementing regulations in 40
CFR parts 1500 through 1508, and 5 U.S.C. 552(a).
Brian L. Dunn,
Chief, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Bridge Programs.
[FR Doc. 2022-23466 Filed 10-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
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